[Haskell-cafe] Is it possible to "easily" connect Haskell to JavaScript/JavaFX in the browser and use a browser as a Windows GUI? :)

[Dimitry Golubovsky]

Hi,

Atze Dijkstra wrote:


[skip]
>but to provide a proper interface to XML/HTML DOM (see http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell_in_web_browser), or a GUI abstraction around it (perhaps a subset of wxHaskell?)
>will take more work & time. I hope this can be done as part of a studentproject, or maybe picked up during a Hackathon.

I think a big portion of this task might be done using this package:

http://hackage.haskell.org/package/webidl

or its newer (not published on Hackage, but recommended) version split
into two (you need both):

http://code.haskell.org/yc2js/webidl/         -- lexer (FFI based),
parser, and a test program.*

http://code.haskell.org/yc2js/webidlsyn/    -- just AST and pretty-printer

I must admit: I haven't touched this project for more than a year, and
have little plans to do so: it is up for grabs by anyone interested.

But if it can parse something like this:

http://es-operating-system.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/include/w3c/html5.idl

or

http://es-operating-system.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/include/w3c/svg.idl

it's likely still intact. Back in those days it could.

A WebIDL converter helps derive type signatures for DOM methods and
attributes (just like HSFFIG does this for C function prototypes).

Have fun ;) and don't hesitate to ask questions.

PS I'm glad that the idea lives on. With more GHC flrxibility on
backends than it was in 2006-2007, and with faster Javascript engines
in browsers, this can get a second life...

------------------------------
* the whole repo has to be downloaded: darcs get http://code.haskell.org/yc2js/

-- 
Dimitry Golubovsky

Anywhere on the Web